That's what women with long fingernails are complaining about the iPhone. Because the iPhone multi-touch screen works by detecting electrical conductance of your finger, fingernails or stylus don't work:
She and other women who have long nails -- as well as people of all genders with chunky fingers -- have real trouble typing on the iPhone. The 39-year-old consultant and lecturer, who says her fingernails are typically between one-eighth and one-quarter of an inch long, wants the iPhone to include a stylus.
"Considering ergonomics and user studies indicating men and women use their fingers and nails differently, why does Apple persist in this misogyny?"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Dear sweet lord that's funny.
She might as well argue that contact lense makers are being sexist, because you have to have short nails if you want to avoid scratching your eyes out... or that glove makers need to put in extra length to accomodate her nails!
I think only about 20% of the women I know have long nails like this... so it's not particularly aimed at women in general, just a small group.
If she's that bothered, why doesn't she just go out and buy some cheap nail scissors and cut her damn nails!!!
Well said.
Cut your nails, twit!
Why didn't Apple make it so that the nails could register as touches as well?
Then they could make the surface like a chalkboard and send us all to the hell that these past-their-prime fashionistas live in.
The world doesn't have to accomodate your nails, your chubby fingers, or any other of your sensitive issues.
Discriminating against the short nail crowd is back scratches and the ability to remove caked on debris from dishes.
I don't remember "It pleases all of the people, all of the time" being among Jobs' bullet points.
The iPhone itself cannot have an emotion as it is an inanimate object.
Secondly:
Finger nails that are of a length such as to prevent you from performing any task are an elected nuisance by the yielder of said nails.
Translated:
If you want your iPhone to work for you, cut your fu#!ing finger nails.
This is the ugly side of human rights over-activism.
Why didn’t Apple make it so that the nails could register as touches as well?"
because thats not how the underlying MULTI touch electronict work. there is no fisical layer you push down, as was with older touchscreens. it need coductifity to work.
Anyway, near the bottom of the article came this quote (referring to why she doesn't just trim her nails): "It's the machine's job to accommodate its users, not the other way around,"
Um, no. Not even close. You have to learn how to program your TiVo, you have to practice with your speech-to-text software, and if your deodorant give you a rash, then dammit, you might have to try a different brand.
Now I'm not agreeing that it's misogynistic, and I don't like how women think everything is sexist, and minorities think everything is racist, etc etc.
But why shouldn't a stylus work? If I paid $500 for some stupid phone, I should think it would accommodate styluses. Or is that styli?
(Didn't SNL do some fake commercial about how men could get "Ladyfingers" to use the iPhone? I know I saw something like that, somewhere.)
One fashion style I really really could do without, this idea that we're supposed to have long nails....
cut 'em, already!
I don't shit just to denigrate those born without assholes.
If you have long nails you have a problem using ALL 21st century tech.
The city of San Francisco isn't designed to allow you to walk around in a corset either, and it isn't because it was made to not allow corsets. It is because it is a modern city.
Should I be able to complain that the Iphone doesn't work well on horseback?
Ladies, grow up and join the 21st century.
If you put style before life functions then you are no differnt than women who perform cliteradectomy or feet binding on their daughters.
PS-Men can have long nails too. But women call them slobs.
You know, there is someone out there starving to death.
Trim your nails, woman! It's that easy!
http://www.ripleys.com/assets/img/upload/bions/long%20nails.jpg
(hoping the hotlink works)
I'm sure we're all willing to shoulder that burden to remain non-gender-biased.
I kinda feel I'm happy with my SE P1i. The touchscreen it has reacts both to my fingers, nails, stylus and whatnot. And the special keypad makes SMS writing a dream on clouds! Tactile interface FTW!!! Nothing can replace that!
You could only really claim unfair disrimination if long fingernals were an involuntary disability. Stupid stupid stupid.
Yes... sexism is an emotion... just as hatred, disapproval, and elitism are all emotions. You can't be prejudice toward anything without emotion. Irrationality is a byproduct of emotional interference.
or maybe it's because i'm under 30, so i get how computerized things work.
Or maybe Apple can make an iNail, a nail you can slide back or something, or maybe even conduct electricity?
They should not forget their voluntary disabled clients.
LAME
People want the tiny, fit in your clutch/pant pocket/shirt pocket, slim sized phones; with allll the funky features, and that's exactly what Apple gave to us. They did their best, now ladies/'chunky' fingers stop complaining. If you need a damn phone to be accommodated to you, then find one that is.
As for the stylus, the Chinese have an iPhone knockoff that has to be used with a stylus. It's called the M8 HiPhone or something along those lines.
And if the phone doesn't suit your needs, no one is forcing you to buy it!
What's lame is that people wish to take every little thing that makes a woman look feminine and call it oppressive, or put the women down for it. It may not be your thing. It may be something you wanted and couldn't have, but putting a feminist spin on everything you don't like cheapens the concept.
What about paraplegics and the blind... this world is a cruel place of ever spreading discriminations
Like god was discriminating against ppl who cant eat spicy food by inventing the chili pepper???
Im sure there are better ways to attract attention to yourself.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! WELL SAID
I thought the whole point of long nails was to show that you were so well off you dont need to do anything with your hands. In that case why the F do you need an I phone. Puuhleeese
Sexist . . My god!
Are Treadmills sexist because they dont work with High Heels?
Funny, I only had long nails when I was a corporate rodent. Now that I am a lady of leisure, I keep them short so that I can do fun stuff like racing cars and digging around in the garden.
I agree that the claim that the iPhone is sexist is stupid, but really, folks, how judgemental.
Get a life.